Vendors serve up plates of pasta at a previous Taste of Springfield event. Thirty or more restaurant booths will line Park Central Square for the event.

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Improvements to Park Central Square continue to pay dividends, with two of the more popular city events unfolding together Saturday on the square.

Gates will open for Oktoberfest at 11 a.m. in the central area of the square, and the ceremonial tapping of the keg will take place shortly thereafter. At noon, sampling will begin at Taste of Springfield, with an estimated 30 or more restaurant booths along the edges of the square.

Food will be available until 4 p.m., and Oktoberfest will continue into the evening with a strong lineup of 25 beers and five musical acts at the pavilion. The bands are the ...